Bride Of Shadow Canyon. Stacey Kayne
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Praise for Stacey Kayne:
BRIDE OF SHADOW CANYON
‘Kayne’s latest is fast-paced, action-packed and filled with sexual tension.’
—RT Book Reviews
MOUNTAIN WILD
‘Kayne’s strong and appealing characters and colourful Western setting deliver just the right amount of flavour to a tough and tender story.’
—RT Book Reviews
MUSTANG WILD
‘Fast-paced and well written, MUSTANG WILD was a delight to devour…Highly romantic, with just the right touch of humour, MUSTANG WILD is one for the keeper shelf. Stacey Kayne has penned a treasure…’
—Cataromance
‘This strong debut is a tale of one woman’s struggle to overcome a father’s deceit before she can find peace, forgiveness and passion with the man meant for her. Each character carries his or her own weight, adding depth and humour to this honestly written story.’
—RT Book Reviews
MAVERICK WILD
‘Excitement, mystery and delight fill the pages of MAVERICK WILD, Stacey Kayne’s latest historical treasure. Kayne can weave a story that will capture you and not let go. She has demonstrated herself to be a talented force in the world of Western romance.’
—Cataromance
‘Kayne carries off a warm-hearted Americana Western with…feisty characters, a loving family atmosphere, small-town troubles and the gritty reality of life in the Wild West.’
—RT Book Reviews
What have I done to deserve this?
Jed froze at the sight of his young bride sleeping soundly in his bedroll.
He suppressed a groan while trying to push the tantalizing image of her perfect, pint-size body from his mind. His gaze skimmed across her pretty face before he forced himself to look away.
Heavens, but he’d never had so much trouble controlling his wayward thoughts. This little bit of a woman, who’d done nothing but glare and shout at him, was making short work of the disciplined control he usually executed over his mind and body.
She didn’t care for him one bit, which suited Jed just fine. The wide stretch of land between them and California required an aggressive spirit. Judging by the glint in Rachell’s eyes and the rigidness of her spine, she planned to fight him like a cornered mountain lion the whole way.
Bride of Shadow Canyon
Stacey Kayne
STACEY KAYNE has always been a daydreamer. If the comments on her elementary school report cards are any indication, it’s a craft she mastered early on. Having a passion for history and a flair for storytelling, she strives to weave fact and fiction into a wild ride that can capture the heart. Stacey lives on a ranch near the Sierra Nevada, with her high-school sweetheart turned husband of eighteen years and their two sons. Visit her website at www.staceykayne.com
Recent novels by the same author:
MUSTANG WILD
MAVERICK WILD
MOUNTAIN WILD
COURTED BY THE COWBOY (part of Stetsons, Spring and Wedding Rings anthology)
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BRIDE OF SHADOW CANYON was my first completed historical Western romance novel, and is dedicated to my very first readers.
Sometimes it takes a village to raise an author, and I want to thank those in my village who offered to read my early work and provided much-needed guidance and encouragement.
Phyllis Hoatson, Kathy Riemer, Rosli Chavez, Terri Micene, Debra Salonen, Michelle Fitch, Terry McLaughlin, Jackie Rosinski, Diane Haynes, Anne Riemer, Judi Kuehl, Renee Luke, Cheryl Bright, Carla Hughes, Sheila Rae Mohs, and all the RWA contest judges who praised my writing, scolded my heroes and shared their knowledge.
Special thanks to Linda Fildew, Lydia Mason, Maddie Rowe and Joanne Carr, the wonderful editors at Harlequin Mills & Boon, who’ve been a joy to work with.
Chapter One
Colorado Territory, 1870
I’ll stand before God before I lie under Maxwell Sumner!
The silent vow echoed in Rachell Carlson’s mind as she pulled the sheet tightly around her cold body, her narrowed eyes boring into the locked bedroom door. The stench of smoke and alcohol filtered up through the floorboards, along with the roar of a drunken crowd and the clanking of a poorly tuned piano.
If Maxwell’s henchmen thought taking her dress would keep her from running, they were in for a surprise. She’d ride out of this old mining town stark naked if she had to. She wouldn’t return to Missouri or to the man determined to make her his bride.
She turned and walked to the other side of the small room. Securing the bed linen around her chest, she shoved at the high window, and cringed with each creak of wood. The damp night air swirled inside. Chills rippled across her skin as the evening breeze tugged at her loose hair.
Outside, a full moon glowed ten times brighter than the oil lamp on the night table behind her, lighting up the deserted alley below. She pulled the sheet over her shoulders to shut out the cold as she surveyed the steep awning stretched across the back of the saloon. It was a good twenty-foot drop to the ground.
Using both bed linens, she might be able to reach the alley. Anticipation bubbling, she crept back to the door and pressed her ear to the wood. Holding her breath, she listened for signs of Maxwell’s son or one of his ruffians standing guard. The past six days of being dragged from Nevada to Colorado by the three heathens had been a living hell. It had taken months to squirrel away enough money for that train ticket to California, only to be pulled off the train in Lake’s Crossing.
I should have married an English lord when I had the chance. The gruesome matchmaking efforts of Miss Abigail’s Academy for Young Ladies had been a paradise compared to the rambling life she’d endured over the last five years. She’d been singing in saloons for so long, using so many stage names, she hardly recognized her own. California held the promise of a new start, and a life which included her sister.
Rachell sucked in a quivering breath. “Lord, give me strength.”
The whispered words no sooner left her lips than a man’s hand clamped over her mouth. Her startled gasp was trapped behind the warm, calloused